Cast Gift idea: Wood-Burned Keychains

 Hey everyone! Here is a quick cast gift idea for theater folks and directors who may want to give their cast a personal, custom but affordable gift. I bought these keychains at Hobby Lobby or Michaels on sale and wanted to do a wood-burned keychain for everyone but I ran out and could not get to Gainesville that week. So the first cast gift idea is to use a wood burner and carve out the characters along with the actors' and actresses' names on such keychains. I like to give each cast member a personal gift, as well. The second gift used Dollar Tree chalkboard tags, chalk taped onto to each so they could be drawn on, and I painted with white acrylic paint a show symbol (for Addams Family I did a snapping hand) and the actor's or actress's name on each. These types of gifts could really apply to any group of people, though. 

Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed! 

-Lauryn 

Easy, Last-Minute, DIY Custom Superhero Costume

 Good evening! Here's a super quick and easy project you may find useful this holiday season, especially if you find yourself in a time crunch and know a small superhero who'd love a special, personalized superhero costume. Mine used red and yellow with lightning strikes because my friend Morgan loved the Flash and Lightning McQueen, though of course I put his initial instead. Here is a basic outline on how to create your own.

You will need:

-Fabric (my red fabric was from the Walmart $2 section and was so great, I did not even need to hem the bottom after cutting it. I used a couple sheets of felt for the other colors/parts.)

-Hot Glue and a Hot Glue Gun

-Velcro

I cut a scalloped edge on the bottom of my rectangular cape with basic scissors. I sewed the top side to a long strip of yellow felt (also a rectangle with curved sides where I planned them to buckle under the chin). I hot-glued on Velcro to the ends of the yellow felt. I cut a gray circle and yellow 'M' out for my logo and hot-glued those to the cape. I cut out my mask shape, rectangle strips and lighting strikes, hot-glued them all together, and glued Velcro to the ends of the rectangle strips for my mask. 

That's all there is to it! I hope somebody finds this useful as a fun, personal gift idea! 

-Lauryn

10 Universal Yet Personalized Gift Ideas

Hello, everyone! Finding gifts can be so tricky for some people. While a lot of people are easy to shop or craft for, a lot of people are very difficult and give no helpful hints on what they could use or would like. To simplify gifting and remove the stress, I have compiled a list of gift ideas that anyone would like and could use, no matter who they are. At first glance, they may seem boring or too impersonal; however, all of the gifts listed can be customized special for the recipient. In addition, they generally are quite inexpensive. So, without further ado, here's the list:

Candles

Candles are not only very practical, but they also smell scrumptious and can be very personal. I'm not just talking about melting photos on or taping them to the jar, either. There are lots of book-themed candles for the literary people you know available to buy, or you could hand-make a candle with their favorite book scene scent. Another option I've done is cover up a regular candle label with a homemade one that transforms a pine scent into the woods of Narnia, or the like. If you make your candles, you could choose to put the wax in a non-traditional jar-thing such as a teacup, as well. A gift idea I saw on Pinterest and helped a friend of mine make is melting a hand-doodled design onto a candlestick, which is another option (great for kids to make).

Notebooks or Sketchbooks

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see how anyone can ever have too many notebooks. They're fun and so easily personalized. You can make Polymer clay covers, sew one from scratch, draw or paint on the cover of a bought one, mod-podge photos to a cover, turn the covers to chalkboard or leather... the list goes on and on. There are countless tutorials online if you need inspiration. This gift is great for kids and adults alike.

Writing Utensils

Going hand-in-hand with the previous category, everyone can always use more pens, a cool sharpener or pretty pencils. I have an addiction to gel ink pens. My favorites are the $3-4 Pen+Gear packs. Dollar Tree and just about every store offers gel pens and other neat writing gadgets. You could get creative and decorate pencils or pens, too, with yarn, paint or clay or anything, really. I've made Polymer-clay decorated pens. Also, you could purchase pencils with special engraved messages. If you like woodworking, you could even glue led into hollowed branches to make fancy woodland pencils.

Books

Now, I understand that not everyone's a book worm, but there is a book for everyone. Maybe the person you're shopping for likes magazines, or a photo album, scrapbooks, joke books, crossword puzzles, zentangle coloring books, and so on. If you want to make something really special, you could write or illustrate your own book for that person themed around one of their interests or about them. There are so many great options, and this gift is excellent for all people of all ages.

Socks 

This may sound rather strange, but socks are not only practical and (hopefully) cozy, they can be fun and personal. It would be strange to give all of your co-workers socks, so I guess it depends on the situation, but in general, socks are a great gift. I've received Two Left Feet-brand socks, and I love them! They make all sorts of designs, from cameras, to books, to tacos, although they are expensive. If this is a gift idea you'd like to look into, you should take a look at theirs. If you want off-brand socks for kids, a dollar store might be the way to go.

Water Bottles or Mugs

Maybe I'm just weird, and I do admittedly drink more water than a normal person, but I don't believe a person can ever have too many water bottles. There are so many kinds and design options, too, so they can be personalized, as well. I have received lots of mugs for birthdays and Christmas, and I absolutely love them all. I have designated each for a specific purpose and still use them all daily. So, like water bottles, I guess you really can't have too many. Who isn't thrilled to receive a special, cute mug, after all?

Music

Everybody of any age loves music, from babies to elderly folks. This could be in the form of a music book, a musical instrument, a music gift card, a CD, a musical toy, a music box, and so on. There are countless options and plenty of ways to be personal and creative with this magical gift.

Photos/Videos

You've no doubt given something under this category to someone before or received one of these gifts, but you really can't go wrong with giving someone sentimental photos or videos. Photos could be in a scrapbook, album, framed, put on a flash-drive/disc, or made into any type of household decor. Videos could be on a flash-drive or disc. If you don't have any recordings of the person, you could buy a disc from a play they performed in, or buy a movie they love, or a similar alternative.

Body Care Items

Any adult would appreciate a scrumptious-smelling, handmade and rejuvenating sugar scrub. They are so easy to make, practical and inexpensive. You could use that person's favorite scent, such as coffee, mint, rose, and so on. For children, you could do bath bubble mix, bath chalk or some other fun alternative. Maybe the bottle could have their favorite character. For adults, there are also bath bombs and Epsom salts that are easy to make, among others. For kids and adults alike (but especially adults), lotion is always a handy thing to have. There are recipes online, but you can also find special products at local shops and gift stores, too. Both kids and adults also appreciate lip balms. The best ever is Pure and Simple's lip balm.

Experiences

Before you jump to conclusions, let me say this does not have to be expensive! Sure, experiences could be fun things like movie theater/drama theater tickets, classes/lessons, trips, etcetera. But they could also be a gift you are able to offer for low-cost. I paint, so I've given my parents, siblings, and grandparents canvases and taught them a fun painting tutorial. I had the supplies and space, so I just paid for the canvases, which were $1 each. Maybe you could give free music lessons, or take somebody to free museums. Maybe you're an actor/actress and you could give tickets to your upcoming production. Be creative!


Technically, that was 12 or more gift ideas. Anyway, I hope this comes in handy for you!

-Lauryn

Basic Invite Product Review (Including Clear Business Cards) + Coupon Codes

Hello, everyone! I am so excited to share a new product with you. Kaytee from Basic Invite kindly offered to callaborate, so here is a business card review. I chose the photo collage styled cards, but I would also like to talk about the clear business cards, which are even more unique.

My business cards were matte and of very fine quality. The photos I printed on them came out sharp, and the coloring was perfect (which is not too common with most photo-printing businesses in my experience). It was really hard to choose a design because there are so many stylish options. Another aspect I really appreciate is that customers can customize the fonts and colors; not only on the business cards, but also on the invitations. Basic Invite also offers clear business cards, which look amazing! I honestly think that a clear business card would really stand out, because come on, how many times do you get handed a clear business card?

Here are some business card links:

-Business cards

-Clear plastic business cards

-Corporate holiday cards

Here are some more photos, which are from Kaytee:

Basic Invite also offers a huge selection of holiday cards and invitations, which are definitely worth looking into with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas quickly approaching. All of them are completely customizable, from fonts to colors to sizes. There are also foil options (silver, gold, and rose gold, all with a flat or raised foil option). There are over 40 envelope colors, and all envelopes peel and seal. You can save loads of time with addressing them, because you have the option of sharing a link on social media that will request addresses, the addresses will be stored in your account, and you can simply select them instead of filling out each address individually. Recipient address printing is free for all Christmas card orders. You can find holiday cards here. These photos are also from Kaytee:

Those are just a few of countless styles and occasions. Not sure if you'll like the design? You can order samples to ensure that you chose the perfect design before ordering the quantity you need.

By the way, holiday cards are 30% off right now (code: HOL130), so I suggest you save yourself some hassel before the hectic months of Novemeber and December come, and order your cards soon!

Best of all, you can get 15% off of your purchase with the coupon code 15FF51.

You can find Basic Invite on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter with the following links.

I give Basic Invite five out of five stars. I hope you love these products as much as I do! Have fun shopping!

-Lauryn

DIY Graduation Gift Wrapping Idea

It's that time of year again when friends, family, and relatives are graduating. If you plan to attend a graduation, you probably have a gift to wrap, so here's a DIY just for you if you want to make your gift more personal with handmade wrapping paper:

Step 1. 

I used brown wrapping paper from Dollar Tree (which can be found in the office supplies section). Before you wrap the gift, handwrite in a calligraphic font 'Congratulations' or something that would go with the gift, or your friend would find personal, such as their favorite poem. My friend loves Cinderella, so I wrote 'Congratualtions . . . Dreams do come true . . .' across the paper repeatedly. When you are done, you can add stamps (I used a butterfly stamp with blue ink), but this is optional.

Step 2. 

Wrap the gift and tie it with a ribbon. Add your gift tag (I made mine) before tying the bow. I used a brand new, grey hair ribbon I had on hand.

Step 3.

Now time to make the graduation hat topper. Cut out a long rectangle, and glue it into a cylinder form by attatching the ends. cut out a square and glue it on top. Now take a small, long, narrow strip of paper and cut one edge so it becomes a fringe. Roll it up and glue it in place. Add a tiny strip around the top of this tassel and glue it. Glue the tassel to the top of your hat. Glue the completed hat to a mini clothespin and clip to the ribbon you tied your gift with.

Step 4.

Embellish however you want. I was aiming for a Cinderella look, so I glued on scrapbook-paper butterflies. 

Congratualtions! Your gift is ready to go!

I hope you enjoy! I have more gifts, tutorials, and events to post soon!

-Lauryn